Post on 25-Dec-2015
OBJECTIVE
• Hazard
• Categories of hazard
• Common examples of health hazard
• Common examples of safety hazard
• Contributing factors for hazard at workplace.
What is a hazard?
• A hazard is a condition, substance, behavior or practice
with the potential to cause loss due to injury, illness or
property damage.
• There are 2 major categories of hazards -- health hazards
and safety hazards. Workers should be familiar with the
different types of hazards commonly found in their
workplace and the ways of controlling them.
Chemical hazards
• gases - hydrogen cyanide, carbon monoxide,
methane
• vapours - gasoline, propane
• dust - asbestos, silica
• solvents - cleaning agents, turpentine
• fumes - welding, asphalt
• smoke - tobacco, surgical smoke
• mists - paint spray, pesticides
Physical Hazards
• Noise
• Temperature
• Radiation
• Vibration
• Indoor air quality
• Illumination (lighting)
Ergonomic Hazards
• Excessive force - lifting, pushing or pulling heavy loads
• Repetitive movements - working on a high paced
production line
• awkward postures - bending, reaching twisting
• Duration - time a task is performed (continuous or over a
prolonged period)
Materials Handling
• Mechanical materials handling - lifting, lowering, carrying,
pulling, shovelling
• Handling hazardous materials - flammable, reactive,
explosive and/or corrosive substances
Confined Spaces
• These are places not intended for human occupancy such
as places with restricted entry or exit or where hazardous
atmospheres exist.
People
• Contractors, customers,visitors, suppliers, and the
general public
• Executives who establish policies, procedures, practices,
and standards
• Engineers and designers who create the workplace
environment
• Individuals who are responsible for preventative
maintenance systems
Equipment
• Tools, machines, vehicles, material handling devices,
hand tools and personal protective equipment
- design of equipment should include ergonomic principles
that assist workers to function more naturally and
comfortably and to prevent fatigue, frustration,
overloading, errors and injuries.
Environment
• Physical environment - buildings, enclosures, fluids
and air that surrounds people, equipment and
materials.
• Non-physical environment - leadership style,
workplace and community culture, marketplace
factors, regulatory or legislative issues, and
organizational and management systems which
include policies, procedures and work practices.
How are workplace hazards
recognized?
• Recognizing hazards is the first step in preventing
illness, injury and property damage in the workplace.
Several ways to recognize hazards include;
workplace inspections
accident/incident analysis
job safety analysis
observance of work processes
past experiences
How are hazards evaluated?
• Hazards are evaluated on the basis of;
1. risk
2. probability and severity
Probability and Severity
• Probability is the likelihood the hazard will result in injury,
illness or property damage.
• Severity, on the other hand, can be wide-ranging. For
example, some hazards can result in a minor injury with
no time lost from work and no property damage; other
hazards can result in death of workers or destruction of an
entire facility.
• As the probability and severity increase, there is a
greater likelihood for loss to people, equipment,
materials and environment.
• There are several ways to control hazards, however, the
order of preference is as follows:
• 1. Engineering controls (elimination, substitution, and
isolation)
• 2. Administrative controls
• 3. Personal protective equipment (PPE)
Engineering controls
• Engineering controls are the first line of defense against
hazards. Their advantage is they have built-in protection
which does not require continuous intervention. There are
three main types of engineering controls:
• 1. Elimination - completely removes the hazard. This is
the optimal means of control. It is the most effective
way of protecting workers and should always be
considered as the first option in controlling a hazard.
• 2. Substitution - replaces the hazard with a less
hazardous one; for example, replacing a
toxic/flammable liquid with a less toxic/flammable one.
Substitution should be used only if elimination is not
possible.
• 3. Isolation - separates hazards from workers; for
example, installing screens to protect workers from
dust, using distance to separate noisy machines from
workers or building soundproof enclosures around
noisy machines, building an enclosure for the hazard,
installing exhaust ventilation, building barriers and
fences around dangerous machines, and providing
guarding to equipment.
• Administrative controls encourage safe work practices.
They include;
• controlling workers’ exposure by job rotation, work
assignments, and limited duration in hazardous area
or performing hazardous tasks.
• Establishing operating procedures
• providing systematic and formal training
PPE
• Personal Protective Equipment is worn by workers to
protect them from their environment. It is used as a
barrier between the person and the hazard and it is
used as a last resort to try and control the hazard.
Job Safety Analysis
• JSA will evaluate all the tasks - quality, production, health
and safety - to determine the safest and most efficient
way to complete the specific job. It identifies the hazards
in each task of the job and determines control measures
for those hazards.